Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening if You Don’t Have Symptoms?
Should people who are symptom-free still be screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm if they have risk factors such as being a man over age 70 or a smoker with high blood pressure?
Whom should get screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm even in the absence of symptoms?
This information comes from Peter Gloviczki, MD, Roberts Professor and Chair, Emeritus, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic.
That you’ve found this article highly suggests you know what an abdominal aortic aneurysm is and that if it ruptures, death could result in minutes.
Men 65 to 75 who smoke or are former smokers should be screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm even if they have no symptoms.
The screening is done with an ultrasound.
However, a sharp medical practice will screen all men in this age group, which is why my father gets this region checked as part of his annual echocardiogram — the technician simply brings the ultrasound transducer down to his abdominal area to get the image/readings of the aorta after she gets the image/readings of his heart.
Having a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm is another risk factor, even if the patient has no symptoms, and this includes women.
The Society for Vascular Surgery recommends that men who smoke, with no symptoms of abdominal aortic aneurysm, should begin getting screenings at 65. Screenings should start at 55 if there’s a family history.
Dr. Gloviczki says that people with COPD, heart disease, hardening of the arteries or high cholesterol should discuss screening with their doctor.
An AAA is diagnosed mainly with imaging: ultrasound, CT scan and/or MRI.
Source: Bakerstmd
What are the symptoms of an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
Typically there aren’t any. “The problem is patients don’t know they have an abdominal aortic aneurysm and they don’t act expeditiously,” Dr. Gloviczki says. “If you know you have one, you will get to an emergency room.”
He urges people to “react immediately to any new-onset abdominal or back pain,” or even a fainting spell.
Get to an ER ASAP. If you’re in the ER with severe abdominal pain, you should have your abdominal aorta images with an ultrasound—which is much faster than a CT scan or MRI.
When my mother was brought into the ER complaining of agonizing abdominal pain, the ultrasound machine was whisked over to her bed and a doctor wasted no time running the transducer along her abdomen (her aorta was normal).
Treatment for an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
The treatment depends on the risk of a rupture, says Dr. Gloviczki. At least one of three requirements = a need for surgical repair: 1) size of at least 5.5 cm, 2) rapid growth, and/or 3) symptoms.
Symptoms of an abdominal aortic aneurysm can include, though rarely, leg pain and blood clots in the arteries of the legs.
If none of these situations are present, the watchful waiting approach is utilized.
Endovascular Surgical Repair of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
More than 70 percent of procedures are done via endovascular, in which a stent is fed through the groin and deploys a graft to reinforce the damaged site.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716112248.htm
Holding onto a Treadmill Is Like Using a Walker, Will Make You Older
Did you know that holding onto a treadmill while walking is virtually the same as using a walker?
If you want to train for the Walker-Assistance-Device Olympics, I recommend that you hold onto the treadmill during your walking sessions.
The body positioning of the people below is remarkably similar to that of the man above.
Shutterstock/lunopark
I say this not only as a former personal trainer, but also just from basic common sense.
Observe someone using a walker (the rolling type, not the kind that’s lifted off the floor with each step), such as the man in the top-most image.
The man in this photo shows the exact posture that occurs when someone holds onto a treadmill while walking.
The taller the walking person is, the more pronounced is the forward posture, because the person must lean forward to connect their hands to the treadmill’s front bar or side rails.
This doesn’t mean that holding onto the treadmill isn’t a bad idea for short people.
A short person is more likely to do the “shoulder bob” – that is, press their hands on the side rails, arms locked out straight, and push their bodyweight off the tread as they “walk.”
This article deals with a specific type of posture and gait that occur when taller people hold onto the front or side of a treadmill.
This mimics using a walker (the rolling type).
So if you go from walking around in daily life without holding onto anything for support, and then step onto a treadmill — only to hold onto it while you walk — what exactly do you believe you’ll accomplish?
Essentially, you’ll be going from walking around normally (arms swinging or carrying something) to using a walker for getting in some exercise. This makes no sense.
Holding onto a treadmill is a downgrade from the walking you do in daily living — even if the speed is faster than your normal, casual walk around town, at stores, on the job, etc.
Holding on, especially for older people, “causes problems with our spinal alignment, weakening our lower back muscles,” says John Whyte, MD, board certified internist in Washington, DC, and author of “Is This Normal? The Essential Guide to Middle Age and Beyond.”
Dr. Whyte continues, “It is horrible for good posture, as well as developing our core. If you are interested in improving balance as you get older, holding onto the treadmill doesn’t help.
“Rather, walking naturally on the treadmill with arms at sides will help to create better balance.”
People also have a tendency to grip tighter at faster speeds. However, even a light grip compromises the efficacy of the intended purpose, which is to improve fitness and health via walking.
If you don’t use a walker for the activities of daily living, there’s no reason to hold onto a treadmill and mimic using an assisting ambulation device.
People lean on walkers for support, and that’s exactly what you do when holding onto a treadmill — especially if you’re tall—because, as mentioned, the tall individual must lean their bodyweight into the machine to connect their hands to the rails or bar!
Dr. Whyte is the chief medical officer of webmd.com. Prior, he was the chief medical expert for almost a decade at Discovery Channel.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Ljupco Smokovski
Senior Age People Walking on Treadmill Should NOT Hold On
Did you know that if you’re of senior age you should not hold onto a treadmill during your walks?
I once told a senior woman that she should walk without holding onto the treadmill. She asked if I was a cardiologist.
Heart health is not related to proper walking form. A fitness professional is not trained to interpret an EKG or figure out what they’re hearing through a stethoscope, but one thing they know very well is how to walk properly.
Cardiologists aren’t trained in proper treadmill use, and I explained to the senior that walking without holding on would promote better breathing and better spinal alignment.
I pointed to the other seniors on other treadmills and said, “Describe their posture.”
“The main issue with an older person holding on is going to be balance,” begins Dr. Charles J. Pelitera, assistant professor of kinesiology and also coordinator of the Health/Wellness Program at Canisius College, NY.
“An exercise program for an elderly patient should be designed with two thoughts in mind,” continues Dr. Pelitera.
“The program should be designed to prolong their quality of life and to further enhance their quality of life.
“It is preferred that elderly people walk hands-free to not only benefit their cardiovascular fitness but also to continue to stimulate neurotransmitters involved with balance and proprioception.
It’s unlikely his goal is weight loss. Even if it’s just to get the heart rate elevated, his holding on is skewering his posture and teaching his body to rely on external support for balance while walking. This will NOT come in handy as he gets older.
“There have also historically been some problems with some senior citizens holding on and it affecting circulation to the hands.
“This could possibly lead to numbness in the hands and in a worst case scenario the possibility of some type of peripheral neuropathy.”
Look at the senior age people in the photos above, which I discreetly took; the men were not posing. Notice their poor posture and walking gait.
The forward lean is very prevalent wherever treadmills are, especially among senior walkers.
Look at the pictures again. You can’t really believe this is the correct way to walk — even for a senior.
When that senior steps off the treadmill…what will support them then? Their hips, low back structures, knees, etc., will be faced with doing all the work of walking, balancing, keeping upright.
This is an UPGRADE from what they just came from: holding onto the treadmill. That’s because holding on is a DOWNGRADE.
The last person who should do downgrade-type walking is the older person.
Holding onto a treadmill will promote less efficient walking, because it does not mimic real movement in space.
It will not improve the golf game, bowling game, walking at shopping centers, walking around in the garden, walking the dog, walking anywhere.
Straightening out the posture will not correct this blunder, because no matter where you hold on (front bar, rails, console) and how straight you position your body — it’s still a downgrade.
Older people should hold on only for occasional balance checks, but then do the majority of their walking in the most natural way: without holding on.
Seniors should set the speed slow and take their hands off the treadmill.
Machines go as slow as 0.5 mph, so it’s not logical to fear falling off — assuming that the individual gets around in everyday life without assistance — which is the demographic that this article is directed to.
Start with a slow speed, and increase it little by little. Before you know it, you’ll be smokin’.
Dr. Pelitera is the owner of Pelitera Fitness Consultants, which specializes in athletic training, weight loss and strength training.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Best Way for Obese Children to Walk on a Treadmill
Look at the photo above of the overweight boy on a treadmill.
This appears to be a non-posed shot, versus models being told to take specific positions instructed by a photographer.
The first boy is overweight (though not a lot), and appears to be tightly holding onto the treadmill as part of his jogging, rather than taking a momentary heart rate check.
I doubt that a child this young (looks around 11 or 12) is going to be thinking about heart rate.
So it’s safe to assume he’s holding on for the duration of his jog. This overweight child appears to be jogging due to his hair’s appearance.
Overweight children, even if they’re in poor shape, should not hold onto a treadmill when jogging or when walking.
When I was a personal trainer I had my adult clients (regardless of age or weight) walking and jogging without any holding on. The reasons for this apply to kids, even overweight ones.
“Obese children should be encouraged not to hold on while walking on a treadmill,” explains Dr. Charles J. Pelitera, assistant professor of kinesiology and also coordinator of the Health/Wellness Program at Canisius College, NY.
“The chances are that one of the reasons that they are obese to begin with is that they had never been mentored in exercise or in the proper use of exercise equipment.
“Right at the beginning I would try to instill good positive habits such as keeping the hands free while walking on a treadmill.”
In a situation OFF the treadmill, in which the boy in the photo would be running (soccer, basketball, football, outdoor play, chasing around in the schoolyard, etc.), would there be anything for him to hang onto? NO.
What is he training his body to become efficient at by holding on?
Nothing. This is an unnatural way to move and will not make him better at running in a real situation, be it sports, play or running from harm.
You can clearly see what the gripping is doing to his posture and shoulders. This is poor running/jogging form.
It also won’t do much for facilitating weight loss or stamina.
Kids don’t know better, and it’s up to the adults supervising to correct this mistake.
Note the third boy down (don’t try to figure out what the second boy is doing; he appears to be momentarily placing his hand on the treadmill rail as he sits on a stationary bike).
The third boy appears to be a little overweight, but he’s jogging on the treadmill correctly.
Look at the fourth boy in yellow. He appears overweight and is holding onto the side rails. Note his forward posture.
If he were to swing his arms, his posture would straighten. You need not be a chiropractor or personal trainer to see how wrong holding on is.
I doubt these boys fear falling off. It’s more likely that they just don’t know better. They see the bar and rails, and thus, reflexively hold onto them.
Perhaps they’ve seen adults doing this and are mimicking them. Maybe the supervisor told them to do it because that person doesn’t know better.
But regardless of the reasoning, overweight kids should not hold onto a treadmill when walking or running.
- It burns significantly fewer calories (the calorie readout is a function of the settings, not the person, and hence can’t tell if someone’s holding on or not).
- It does not replicate walking or running in real life (sports, play, escape).
- It can cause repetitive stress injuries to the hips, feet, knees and shoulders.
Whether overweight or not, when a child holds onto a treadmill, it distorts their gait and may result in sore shoulders or back discomfort. Learning to swing the arms will utlimately result in a much more comfortable walk. Depositphoto.com
Overweight kids who fear falling off should start at a slow-enough pace that makes them feel comfortable, and then the speed can be gradually increased.
Having children hold onto a treadmill will do absolutely nothing to empower them or make them feel confident.
Dr. Pelitera is the owner of Pelitera Fitness Consultants, which specializes in athletic training, weight loss and strength training.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Veiny Woman’s Arm vs. Skinny Eating Disorder Arm
Remember when Madonna was criticized for having an eating disorder because a photo showed her veiny arm?
The photo above generated a lot of negative feedback for Madonna, because people thought that the prominent bulging veins meant she was underfed, and they called her too thin. What’s actually going on is that Madonna is a physique enthusiast.
If you’ve ever seen photos of female physique athletes on stage, you would have noticed the vascularity in their arms.
Yet these women are hardly underfed, though they DO strictly diet for several weeks prior to a competition.
However, a woman can maintain veiny arms year-round. Undereating is NOT how this is done.
As a former personal trainer and physique enthusiast myself, I know what it takes to get this kind of arm.
If bulging veins in a woman’s arm mean she has an eating disorder or is too skinny, then why don’t you see this kind of vascularity in every runway model?
Look again at Madonna’s arm. What else do you notice? I see well-developed muscle. Look at the forearm.
I see two distinct, compact regions of trained muscle. And that’s just the forearm—a notoriously difficult part of the body to build up.
Though her arms aren’t bulky, they are solid with muscle — from lifting weights.
How can anyone say these arms are skinny? Intense strength training keeps the veins perked up.
Shutterstock/By Nicholas Piccillo
They become visible due to a low bodyfat percentage — but this doesn’t mean malnourished, undereating, an eating disorder or anorexic. The two images below show truly skinny arms. Where are the veins?
Shutterstock/Just dance
Freepik.com master1305
The reason runway models don’t have veiny arms is because their bodies are “skinny fat.”
They don’t do serious strength training, and hence, their veins are — for lack of a better word — flaccid.
Another thing you must realize about Madonna’s arms is that the photo was taken while she was carrying something of weight.
If her arms were relaxed, hands holding nothing, the veins wouldn’t be as prominent.
This same principle applies to the physique athlete. When she is standing with both arms at their sides, relaxed, the veins don’t pop out so much.
When they are prominent — she’s at a low-enough body fat percentage that they can show even when she’s relaxed.
Or, she’s tensing her muscles for a photoshoot or is photographed while lifting heavy resistance.
BUT — she is not skinny or underweight!
Shutterstock/Lyashenko Egor
Vascularity in the arms is a physique athlete’s dream, and the goal for contests is to get as vascular as possible.
In fact, this is one of the components that the judges look for.
Veiny arms do not necessarily signal an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa, inadequate food intake or malnourishment.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Tiny Waistline Does NOT Always Mean an Eating Disorder
A tiny waist should not automatically mark a woman as having an eating disorder or anorexia nervosa.
Look at the waist of the woman above; it’s what would be considered tiny or “too skinny.”
However, why isn’t this same criticism applied to male physique athletes?
Freepik.com, halayalex
If a woman like the one above doesn’t have an eating disorder or is not underfed, then what makes her waist so tiny?
Note her muscle development. In no way does this woman have scrawny arms.
Those arms and shoulders look like they can bench press at least 100 pounds.
Her waist and entire abdominal section is actually thinner than a runway model’s.
Yes, I realize that the angle of the model creates the illusion of an even smaller waist, but this does not change the popular belief that a tiny waist probably means an eating disorder or not getting enough to eat.
When I was a personal trainer at a gym, I enjoyed explaining the following to my overweight clients:
Fierce weight workouts (plus a sensible diet) siphon nearly all the fat out of one’s midsection.
Yes — order for this to happen, the athlete must keep their diet controlled.
This doesn’t mean starvation. In fact, in order for a woman to develop muscle, she needs to get an adequate amount of protein and carbohydrates.
She can’t build muscle on an anorexic’s diet or the diet that some malnourished looking Hollywood starlets seem to be on.
Building muscle — and maintaining that muscle — requires plenty of energy.
This must come from food, as well as adequate rest in between workouts.
Muscle feeds off of body fat for sustenance, though it also thrives on high quality sources of protein and complex carbs.
The fat that the trained muscle mass feeds off of includes any fat that tries to accumulate in the waist.
Just because a woman has a super small waist doesn’t mean she’s underfed, anorexic or has an eating disorder.
Is it really fair to pass judgement on a woman’s health just because her waist is tiny? Freepik.com/master1305
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Improvisor
Burn Saddlebag Fat with Four Proven Workouts
Yes, you CAN get rid of saddlebags; don’t let anyone tell you it’s genetic or part of being a woman.
There are four proven exercise approaches to burn saddlebag fat.
Ever notice that a woman with “buff” legs never has saddlebags? Ever notice that the legs of women who have saddlebags always have a soft appearance, rather than hard and athletic?
Saddlebags are not a muscle problem. It’s a fat problem. Therefore, doing exercises that “target” the muscles right in the saddlebag region won’t do you much good.
Instead, you must do exercises that cause your body to burn up the fat in the saddlebag area — burn that fat up and use it for fuel.
What exercises are the best, then, for burning up the most fat in your body, which would of course mean that the excess fat in the saddlebag area would get burned up:
1) Very intense weightlifting that targets the lower body (buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings)
2) Very intense weightlifting routines that simultaneously hit the chest, shoulders and triceps
3) Very intense weightlifting routines that simultaneously hit the back and biceps, and
4) High intensity interval training
No. 1: The buttocks, quads and hams are the largest muscle groups in the body. Hitting these intensely will result in an after-burn effect:
Stored fat will get burned during the recovery process, which can last for many hours, even 24 hours (studies reporting this appear in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise).
It stands to reason that the greatest after-burn results from slamming the body’s biggest muscle groups.
Exercises that create an after-burn on a recurring basis, over time, will diminish saddlebags.
No. 1, 2 & 3: Intense routines that target multiple muscle groups at one time burn the most fat in the hours after the workout.
Freepik
These are called multi-joint, or compound, routines, and include exercises such as squats, dead-lifts, leg presses, bench presses, dumbbell presses, lat pull-downs and heavy dumbbell bent-over rows.
Hit a lot of muscles at once, and more fat will be burned during, and after, the exercises, which means more fat burned in the saddlebags.
No. 4: High intensity interval training creates an after-burn that, over time, will attack saddlebags.
One of the most potent forms of HIIT is doing sprints on a track or across a parking lot or field of grass. Many people can’t sprint, but can work up to this ability.
HIIT example: Run as FAST as you can for 30 to 60 seconds; walk for one to two minutes; and repeat six to eight more times.
Not one competitive sprinter alive (at least I don’t think so) has saddlebags. If one does, let me know.
Athletes who do a lot of sprinting as part of their sport (soccer, pole vaulting, long jump) rarely if ever have saddlebags.
You need not be a skilled athlete to get rid of saddlebags; just do HIIT, particularly in sprint form.
You cannot spot reduce saddlebags.
Freepik.com, master1305
Do intense strength training with compound exercises, and HIIT.
An example of intense exercise that will help dissolve fat in the saddlebag area is the barbell squat.
Load the bar heavy enough so that 20 repetitions are difficult.
Now, do 20 reps, but thrust up with each up-motion, and immediately lower into a position of thighs parallel to the floor.
Explode with each upward part of the exercise, and never lock out the knees.
Take only a 45 second rest, then do it again, and if you can’t reach 20 on subsequent sets, that’s fine.
Do five sets. Your legs should feel hotter than hot coals. It’s this kind of exercise that will help get rid of saddlebags.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Sorn340 Images
Strength Training for Skinny Arms: Muscle Building Routines
Tired of skinny weak arms? Here are proven strength training routines that will put muscle on your skinny arms and make them a lot stronger.
Bench Press. The bench press is usually thought of as the best chest exercise, but it also engages the triceps.
Ever see a man with skinny arms bench press 225 pounds? There’s a reason for that. The bench press — either horizontal or inclined — is a cornerstone for building mass in the arms.
Overhead Press. Pressing over the head targets the shoulders and triceps, which will help build up thin arms.
Seated Dip. Seated dips will increase the size of your skinny arms by adding mass to the triceps muscle.
When men struggle to build up thin arms, they often focus a lot on bench pressing, which primarily works the chest muscles.
Though the triceps get worked in the bench press, they don’t get slammed like they do during intense sets of seated dips.
Seated dips will directly target the triceps, which makes up most of your upper arm. If you have well-developed triceps muscles, your arms won’t look skinny.
The caveat with seated dips is that a man with skinny weak arms will not be able to do a full seated dip with elevated feet.
In fact, a man who doesn’t work out and one day decides to try seated dips, even if he has more “meat” on his arms, will simply not be able to perform this exercise. It is inherently difficult, and not a natural movement.
Thus, you must work yourself up to performing dips, but the time it requires to build the strength to do these is well worth it!
Once you’re strong enough to do seated dips, with legs straight and feet propped up on a bench or stool, there is no limit to what you can do with this exercise.
To make a long story short, make seated dips a regular part of your strength training, and keep pushing the envelope and dipping heavier and heavier (add weights to your lap for more resistance), and dang, your triceps will swell!
Biceps Curls. The next biggest muscle of the arm is the biceps, so you’ll want to target these. You’ve perhaps heard that “the biggest mass builders are compound movements.”
Freepik.com, Racool_studio
The problem here is that the typical skinny, weak person cannot do chin-ups (which recruit the back and biceps), but even the weakest person can immediately do biceps curls for repetitions.
I recommend seated biceps curls with dumbbells, against a slightly tilted-back back support.
This will minimize cheating, though standing curls are also a good muscle building exercise for the arms — as long as you don’t swing your back.
How many repetitions for building muscle in skinny arms? Set the resistance so that 6-10 repetitions are barely possible. If you can do 11, then the resistance is too light. For pushups, position yourself for an 8-12 rep max.
Rest 90-120 seconds in between sets. Do 4-6 sets of each routine described here, twice a week.
Eat high quality protein and complex carbohydrates within one hour of training. To build skinny arms, don’t skip workouts, and don’t skip breakfast.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
When Smith Machine Squats Are Better than a Free Barbell
There are circumstances under which the Smith machine for squats is better than a free barbell.
The Smith machine is actually better for squats than the free barbell — if you meet certain criteria.
There is a lot of controversy and disagreement in the fitness world when it comes to the Smith machine vs. free barbells for performing squats.
Which is better: Smith machine or free barbells for squatting?
This depends on your goals, and it depends on you.
If you insist that the Smith machine is worthless, can you honestly say you’ve never seen a man with king-sized quads using the Smith machine for squats?
He probably squats with a free barbell, too, but have you ever seen him doing such?
The Smith machine is a good piece of equipment for people who, for one reason or another, have problems with the free barbell.
If a person has a weak low back but good strong legs, do you really think he or she should push to muscle failure with free barbell squats?
Their back will cave long before their legs get fatigued; hence, they’ll never gain mass in their legs.
This is where the Smith machine comes in; it will allow them to push the legs hard without their back giving out.
People with weak backs that hurt under the tension of heavy or even light squatting need to work on strengthening their back — however much possible, since there may be a permanent spinal issue with a disc.
But in the meantime, the Smith machine is the equipment of choice for when these people squat.
And what if they just can’t remedy their back problem?
A person whose back gets tweaky upon doing free barbell squats with challenging weight will have to quit the set prematurely.
However, their back may feel just fine upon using the Smith machine with an equally challenging weight load.
If a person has long thighs relative to calf length, this will impede efficiency of free barbell squatting.
When a person has long thigh bones relative to lower leg bones, the squatting motion becomes increasingly tricky as he or she lowers closer to getting the thighs parallel to the floor – and that’s without any added weight.
The relatively long upper legs put pressure on the instep and lower shin area. The hips will feel uncomfortable unless they are flexible or loose.
The Smith machine eliminates this problem, because there is a much greater range with which to position the legs. Leg positioning with the free barbell is very limited.
Leg muscles are more isolated with Smith machine squats, which means there is good potential here to build muscle mass.
Free barbell workouts burn more calories, but what if maximum calorie burn isn’t your goal?
What if you want to blast your legs without a weak or tweaky back getting in the way? And what if the proportions of your leg bones don’t accommodate free squatting? Then the Smith machine is for you.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ Auttapol Sangsub
Dumbbell Squats or Smith Machine: Which Is Better?
Smith machine or dumbbell squats?
It’s tough to assert which is better between the smith machine and dumbbell squats.
And why would you even want to compare these two, when the free barbell squat (“back squat”) is considered by many fitness experts to be the best type of squat?
It’s because not all people find the back squat to be friendly to their back or knees. Or, some really struggle with proper form.
Thus, they seek out alternatives.
If you hate doing Smith machine squats, but are able to stick to the dumbbell version, then the dumbbell squats are better for you.
This is simply due to personal preferance.
You will be able to faithfully adhere to these and you’ll more likely do them with intensity.
But for others, the Smith machine wins out.
Some people do not like any kind of free squatting motion, of which use with dumbbells would be one, and fare better with the tracking device of a Smith machine.
So for them, as far as adherence and morale, Smith machine squats would work better.
If you’ve done Smith machine squats and those with dumbbells, I needn’t tell you that each routine feels quite different from the other, especially when done deeply or “ATG” style (“ass to ground/grass”).
Squats with a Smith machine. Shutterstock/Auttapol Sangsub
Doing ATG Smiths feel awful in the quads, and you may not want to do these ever again.
On the other hand, though ATG dumbbell squats aren’t exactly pretty, it’s a feeling that you can tolerate, and you might not even mind doing several sets in one session, even at a highly intense level.
Dumbbell squats have a proprioceptive component that Smith work does not, plus, dumbbell work will recruit your upper body muscles, unlike Smith work.
But then again, if you require really heavy resistance to challenge your lower body, the dumbbell squats may not work too well.
Your grip will have to be able to support the weight through to muscle failure of your lower body.
Of course, the Smith machine can be loaded with hundreds of pounds.
An advantage of Smith machine squats is that you can place your feet way out in front, and have a lot of room to work with as far as foot placement and leg angle.
You can also work with just one leg, too. Try doing that with dumbbell squats.
Try both routines and see how you like them. If you like both, then include both in your training regimen.
If one feels awful, then avoid it, and stick to the other. If you like both Smith and dumbbell squats, you can do one to muscle failure, and then immediately jump right into the other for an agonizing superset.
Doing several such supersets will create some serious fat burning and strength building.
What about the back squat?
Freepik.com, prostooleh
There are some individuals for which the back squat just does not work well.
It’s the prized movement for ultimate quad and glute development, but the reality is that not everyone takes to the format.
The Smith machine, as well as dumbbell squats, then become strong options.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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